In this episode of the Inside Social Media podcast, you’ll learn exactly how to overcome social media overwhelm and take your business’ social media efforts to the next level.

I share with you a presentation I gave at New Media Expo (NMX) in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago called Social Media Breakthroughs: Big Brand Strategies for Small Business Budgets.

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The reason I wanted to share this with you today, other than it was really well received in Vegas, is because social media breakthroughs is the whole basis for this podcast.  We’re all about modeling and applying what the most successful brands in the world are doing well in social media for our own small businesses, with little to no budget.

“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.” — Tony Robbins

This is one of my favorite quotes and really the basis for the podcast.  There’s one problem with the quote, though — I would change out the word “copy” and replace it with “model.”

“If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and MODEL what they do and you’ll achieve the same results.” 

Here’s what else you’ll learn in this episode:

• Why your business needs social media
• The secret to continuously learning what’s working right now in social media – so you can stay ahead
• 3 game-changing big brand social media strategies that you should be modeling for your small business

Episode Resources

Click Here to Download the NMX Presentation

Google Alerts

Mention.net

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Insider Show Notes: Social Media Breakthroughs

• We have a major advantage right now because we can easily look at what the most successful brands in the world are doing with their social media and model and apply their strategies to our small business.
• Big brands have the budgets, teams, resources – things that we small businesses don’t generally have — to try things out and see what works first.  Let them spend the money and resources so we can learn from them.
• In essence they become our personal mentor, showing us what works and what doesn’t – and we don’t even have to pay them!

When you model and apply the strategies of the most successful brands in the world to your own business, that’s when the breakthroughs happen.  Consider what Henry Ford did with the assembly line.  He revolutionized the manufacturing process.

And for every company that came after that wanted to mass produce their products, they created their own assembly lines based on the success of what Henry Ford created.

They didn’t have to reinvent the wheel.

If they hadn’t known about what Ford did, they would have spent a whole lot of time and resources trying to figure it out themselves

Does Your Business REALLY Need Social Media?

Consider these stats:

• 1 in 7 people in the world on Facebook
• 220 million people on Twitter
• 300 million on google plus
• 90% of consumers would recommend a business to others after interacting with them on social media.
• 4 out of 5 consumers are more inclined to buy from a Brand after being exposed to their social media.
• 70% of Pinterest users say they use the site to “get inspiration on what to buy.”

On Finding Your Customers and “Going Deep”

• Ask your customers where they hangout online.  SO many businesses forget to ask.  It’s so easy — do it.
• Use free tools like Google Alerts and Mention.net to monitor mentions of your name, business name, competitors, specific niche keywords across the Internet.  That way, you can be there too.
• Use the search functionalities that exist within the social channels we use everyday.  This will help you find the conversations and groups that are talking about your niche/business.
• Once you know where your customers are you can see which of those platforms align with your business objective. Once you’ve determined THAT you can choose the 1, 2, maybe 3 social media channels to spend most of your time on (go deep).

Use Social Media to Listen

If you’re not using social media to listen, you’re missing the point of social.  TWEET THIS

Benefits of listening with social media:

• Learn where your customers are hanging out online so you can be there too.
• Add value to niche conversations and be seen as an authority/expert.
• Informs your own product cycle or service philosophy.
• Keep up with what your competitors are doing.

Quit Selling So You Can Sell More 

• Too many businesses use social media to sell sell sell their products or services.  GET OFF your virtual soapbox and think about adding value first, then you can mix in the sales messages.
• Listen first, add value and earn the right to sell your products or services.
• Remember, it’s just as easy for someone to unfollow you as it is for them to follow you.